Rust v. Board of County Commissioners of Summit County

Citations

• 2018 COA 72

Syllabus

Vacant Land Tax Assessment—CRS § 39-1-102(14.4)(a)—Residential Property—\Used as a Unit\ Element—Assessor's Reference Library. Rust bought residential property in Summit County and a year later bought the adjacent undeveloped parcel (the subject property). He and his family have used the two parcels for decades. The county assessor classified the subject property as vacant land for the years 2013 through 2015, subjecting it to a tax rate almost triple the rate for residential property. Rust sought reclassification, asserting that both properties should be classified as residential under CRS § 39-1-102(14.4)(a). The Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA) affirmed the decision of the Board of County Commissioners of Summit County denying reclassification. On appeal, Rust contended that the BAA misconstrued the \used as a unit\ element in CRS § 39-1-102(14.4)(a), which defines residential land. County assessors use the Assessor's Reference Library (ARL) for guidance in classifying land under this statute. The ARL further defines \used as a unit\ as contiguous parcels of land that are under common ownership and are \used as an integral part of a residence.\ Assessors use four guidelines when applying this definition. Here, the parties stipulated that the parcels are commonly owned and contiguous the only issue was whether the subject property was \used as a unit\ with the residential parcel. The assessor found no evidence that the subject property was an integral part of the residence, and the use of the subject property failed to support its reclassification as residential property. There was no error in the BAA's decision. The BAA's order was affirmed.